My pre-Texans 53 man roster, with surprises
 

QB - Drew Brees
QB - Luke McCown
RB - Mark Ingram
RB - Khiry Robinson
RB - Darren Sproles
RB - Pierre Thomas
FB - Jed Collins
WR - Marques Colston
WR - Lance Moore
WR - Preston Parker
WR - Kenny Stills
WR - Andy Tanner
WR - Nick Toon
TE - Jimmy Graham
TE - Mike Higgins
TE - Benjamin Watson
C - Brian De La Puente
C - Eric Olsen
G - Jahri Evans
G - Ben Grubbs
G - Andrew Tiller
OT - Terron Armstead
OT - Charles Brown
OT - Bryce Harris
OT - Zach Strief


DE - Glenn Foster
DE - Akiem Hicks
DE - Cameron Jordan
DE - Jay Richardson
DE - Tyrunn Walker
DT - John Jenkins
DT - Brodrick Bunkley
ILB - David Hawthorne
ILB - Ramon Humber
ILB - Curtis Lofton
ILB - Will Herring (toss up with Reddick)
OLB - Junior Galette
OLB - Rufus Johnson
OLB - Eric Martin
OLB - Will Smith
OLB - Martez Wilson
CB - Rod Sweeting (Toss up with Chris Carr)
CB - Jabari Greer
CB - Keenan Lewis
CB - Patrick Robinson
CB - Corey White
S - Rafael Bush (Toss up with IAQ)
S - Roman Harper
S - Malcolm Jenkins
S - Kenny Vaccaro

PK - Garrett Hartley
P - Thomas Morstead
LS - Justin Drescher

Surprise Cuts
ILB - Jonathan Vilma
OT - Marcel Jones
ILB - Kevin Reddick
OLB - Baraka Atkins
WR - Courtney Roby
DE - Tom Johnson
CB - Chris Carr
OLB - Chris Chamberlain
S - Isa Abdul-Quddus
S - Jim Leonhard
RB - Travaris Cadet

Re: My pre-Texans 53 man roster, with surprises
 

Jon Vilma cut, but will smith in?

Re: My pre-Texans 53 man roster, with surprises
 

I like the Baraka cut...

Good list... injuries still may make a difference in how this plays out.

Re: My pre-Texans 53 man roster, with surprises
 

There's definitely some surprising cuts there.

I think it would be smart to keep another OT just incase. I'd keep Quddus over Sweeting and let Jenkins/Vaccaro provide the depth at corner. I'd also keep Tom Johnson over one of Richardson/Walker. Will Herring can take a hike too.

Re: My pre-Texans 53 man roster, with surprises
 

Tyrunn Walker can spot fill at Nose Tackle...

Re: My pre-Texans 53 man roster, with surprises
 

CB - Rod Sweeting (Toss up with Chris Carr)

watch sweeting working in punt returns. he is doing a great job teaming up and taking out the gunner on his side. now if we can find the right mix on the other side we will be looking good.

so far it is Sweeting job. add to his cap friendly numbers and i say Carr has his work cut out for himself

Re: My pre-Texans 53 man roster, with surprises
 

S - Malcolm Jenkins is hanging on by a thread. he needs to step it up big time

well we get to see what we got this week for sure. i have a fear the LB corp is going to get exposed big time

Re: My pre-Texans 53 man roster, with surprises
 

Interesting Danno. Not a bad list, only 2 I question is Roby and Vilma unless Vilma's knee is that bad off i don't see him being cut. I need to see replay from Friday and this weeks game with Roby on ST to see if he sticks or not.

Re: My pre-Texans 53 man roster, with surprises
 

QB- Brees, McNown, Griffin
RB- Thomas, Ingram, Sproles, Cadet
FB- Collins
WR- Colston, Moore, Toon, Stills, Parker
TE- Graham, Watson, Higgins
OT- Strief, Brown, Armstead, Harris

OG- Evans, Grubbs, Jones
C- DLP, Warren

DE- Jordan, Hicks, Foster, Walker

DT- Jenkins, Bunkley
OLB- Smith, Wilson, JR, Johnson, Martin
ILB- Lofton, Humber, Hawthorne, Reddick, Herring
CB- Lewis, Greer, White, Sweeting, Robinson
S- Jenkins, Harper, Vaccaro, Bush

K- Hartley
P- Morstead
LS- Drescher

Vilma to bring back IR. Tiller, Olsen to IR.

PS - Robinson, Mealer, Shipman, Nelson, Lelito, Hakim, Aaitui, Milton.

Re: My pre-Texans 53 man roster, with surprises
 

I don't think Herring beats out Reddick, and I also have a feeling that Johnson is headed to the practice squad. Also, I would honestly rather see Harper get cut and Abdul-Quddus make the team, but I'm sure there are several that feel similarly. For my "surprise cut", I'm feeling like it's a lot more likely that Will Smith is the veteran that becomes the "odd man out". His coverage ability has been atrocious, & we have too many up and comers at DE. Just my $.02.

Re: My pre-Texans 53 man roster, with surprises
 

Hard to see them cutting a good lineman like Tom Johnson and keeping all those LB's. Think it's more likely Rufus Johnson or Martin ends up on the PS.

I too would rather see IAQ on the team instead of Harper.

Re: My pre-Texans 53 man roster, with surprises
 

I agree I may end up swapping Reddick/Herring. Its just as Blackangold said sometimes its a decision based on who you think you can sneek onto the practice squad. It'll be interesting to see how Reddick plays these last two games.

I think Rufus' potential is too good to expose to waivers. Several teams may claim and stash him on their roster for a season. He's looked great as a situational pass rusher in camp. I think he makes the 53.

According to reports, IAQ is having a very poor camp. Harper is playing well. Nobody mentioned that Harper was in man coverage on WR's in the Oakland game several times, and didn't give up a completion to any of them. He's better than most of his critics think.

The surprise to me is Rafael Bush. I thought he was the weak link but he's played very well in this scheme and is running with the 2's. I think he's passed up IAQ now.

I think Will Smith is a lock because he can play LB or DE. He lined up at the strong side DE a few times too. And at Jack LB he won't be asked to cover.

Re: My pre-Texans 53 man roster, with surprises
 

S - Isa Abdul-Quddus - Hopefully not.

Re: My pre-Texans 53 man roster, with surprises
 

Have to keep Sweeting. We can't be all Abuzz without him!

Re: My pre-Texans 53 man roster, with surprises
 

It will make me sick if Q is cut, I thought he would take Jenkins FS spot and run with it. I can't stand Jenkins. If he is cut some team got themselves a true FS. I agree with most of your picks but I'll take Reddick over Herring all day long. He has more of an upside.

Re: My pre-Texans 53 man roster, with surprises
 

But if he's being out-performed in camp, how can you justify keeping him over someone who's performing well in camp?

Are you saying that you hate Jenkins enough to replace him with an inferior player?

Re: My pre-Texans 53 man roster, with surprises
 

Jenkins has had good camps before just to get in live action and look really stupid. I don't want an inferior player at any position but I don't think Jenkins in a real game knows how to judge deep balls, tackle, or just play FS at all. I hate to compare him to a work out warrior but that's as close a comparison as I can make of him.

Re: My pre-Texans 53 man roster, with surprises
 

I don't think Tanner has any chance at the 53. PS - sure. But not the final roster

Re: My pre-Texans 53 man roster, with surprises
 

Think Cadet stays. Experience and able to do a several things fairly decent to good.

Re: My pre-Texans 53 man roster, with surprises
 

While I do agree that Harper is better than many say, I also think he has obvious limitations that other teams can take advantage of.

Quddus may be having a bad camp in fact. But the bottom line is Harper has been a disaster in coverage far too often and it has hurt this team in critical situations.

Re: My pre-Texans 53 man roster, with surprises
 

I don't agree with Tom Johnson and Marcel Jones.

Jones has been lining up as the #2 RG in the first two preseason games and has performed really well while taking on double teams flashing mobility in run support. It's hard for me to justify cutting him as he could play both the G and the T positions on an O-line that already has depth issues.

Re: My pre-Texans 53 man roster, with surprises
 

I will say that I hate his bad angles and missed tackles enough that I want him gone. Replace him with who is the best and we have IAQ who I personally think brings more to the field.

Re: My pre-Texans 53 man roster, with surprises
 

He is the best we have. Why replace him with an inferior player?
IAQ is having a poor camp. I had high hopes for him but it looks like Raphael Bush has passed him by.

Maybe he'll shine against the Texans.

Re: My pre-Texans 53 man roster, with surprises
 

Bush, baby, BUSH!

Re: My pre-Texans 53 man roster, with surprises
 

He may be one of the bigger suprises to me. He didn't look all that great last year, but he's looked very good in camp so far.

Maybe, like Humber, it just took a few seasons or the right coach for the light to come on, or perhaps he's just a really good fit in Ryans scheme.

Maybe that DB coach from Ole Miss is as advertised. McGriff?

Re: My pre-Texans 53 man roster, with surprises
 

Think Cadet loses out to Robinson also. What wold people think if they kept Leonard and let Jenkins go? Don't really think that would happen though. It would be good if they kept 6 recievers just not sure they will. Wanted them to keep Tanner even for a year.

My pre-Texans 53 man roster, with surprises
 

.